Folding door



Ju-ne 24.r 1930 v E. J. G. "-PHILLlPs 1,768,267

.l FOLDING DOOR Filed D'ec. 14, 1925 f3' M J 5 9j] A -L/ 7 J 8 V0 LA Q9 j! All f5 Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED sTA'ras PATENT oFFifeE ELLIS J'. G. PHILLIPS, OF AURORAI'ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO RICHARDS-WILCOX MANU- FACT'URING GOMPANY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, A GORI?ORA-'IRONOF` ILLINOIS" nonnina Doon Application filed December 14, 1925. Serial No. 75,210.

My invention relates? to folding doors of the' accordion type, or doors composed of a plurality of leaves Vhinged together so that the several leaves may be folded together in an accordion-like manner, and when so folded? will occupy a transverse position rel'- ative to the door opening, and be bunched together part at one end and' part' at the other. Such doors are usually suspended from hangers connected with alternate leaves and arranged to run on a track extending longitudinally of the doorway immediately above its upper' or headj'amb, the lower portion of thel door being guided by some form of vguiding means attached to the lower margins of alternate leaves and running in a slot in the licor, or on a slotted rail set into the floor, and extending longitudinally' ofI the doorway. The leaves vat the ends of the door opening of such doors are usually mounted on fixed Vpivots .or hinges so that they do ,not travel longitudinally of the' doorway, 'but are free to swing laterally asv the leaves of the door are folded or unfolded, while `the remaining leaves constituting each of the two sections of the door as a whole must, of course, travel longitudinally of the doorway as they are moved into or out of operative position. In doors of this type ymuch diliculty has been encountered in obtaining a proper engagement of the meeting edges of the two innermost leaves owing tothe fact that the leaves are apt to shrink or swell, which, of

course, alters the over-all length of each door section comprising the several leaves that are hinged together, and the object of my invention is to provide means by which variations in 'such over-al1 length of the two door sections will be automatically compensated for, so that regardless of shrinkage or swelling the door as a whole will always close properly. I accomplish this object as illustrated in the drawings and here,

inafter described. What I regard asi'new is set forth in the claims; Y

In the accompanying drawings,-

Fig. 1 isk afront elevation', partly broken away, showing a multiple leaf door of the type re'ferredf to in its closedpositiorr;

Fig.v 2' is a-detail, being a partial horizon'- tal section on line 2 -2012 Fig. '1

Fig. 3 is a similarV view illustrating `the position of the parts when the door is being closed or opened;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectiononV lin'e l--ll of Fig. 2; and,

Fig 5 is a perspective View of one of the thimbles which forma part ofthe compensating devices.

Referring to the drawings, @indicates the frame of the door opening, .7, 8 indicate respectively the inner and outer end leaves of one ofthe door sections, and 9,10 indicateA respectively the inner and outer end leaves of 'the other door section. rIlhe: intermediate leaves of the two door sections are indicated by 1l, and it will be `understood that any suitable number of suc-lr intermediate vleaves may be provided, such number depending, of course, on the width of the doorway and the width of thel several leaves. As shown at 12, the several leaves of each section are connected' by hinges, such hinges being so designed that the leaves yof leach section may be folded together iin an accordion-like manner. The end leaves 7 9 are mounted at their Voiite'r margins onf fixed pivots 13, 14, so that they may swingV laterally, and the remaining leaves are supported to move longitudinally of the doorway in the manner above mentioned. The arrangement is such thatwhen the door sections are unfolded, or moved into position to close the doorway, the proximate' margins of the outermost leaves 8, 10 abut, but manifestly ifv the leaves shrink` or swell, unless provision is made for variation in the total widthof the door .Sections .incident thereto,

the door will not close properly. In my improved construction such compensation is provided for in the manner that will now be described.

As best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, one of the outermost leaves, as 8, is provided in its free margin with recesses 15 in the form of cylindrical bores in each of which are fitted thimbles 16 comprising a face plate 17 and a cylindrical portion 18 having a head 19 at its inner end. The thimbles 16 are adapted to be fitted in the recesses 15 and are of such length that their heads 19 are removed a `considerable distance from the inner ends of said recesses, as shown'in said figures. The thimbles are secured in position Vby screws 20, as shown in Fig. 4.

Extending longitudinally through each thimble is a bolt 21, the inner end of which is supported by the head 19 thereof to move longitudinally, and is provided with a head 22 at its inner end, Vwhich lies between the head 19 and the inner end of the recess 15. At its outer end the bolt 21 is screw threaded and carries nuts 23, 24 screwed thereon at opposite sides of a plate 25' which is secured to a strip 26, preferably of wood, that extends the full length of the leaf 8 and is of corresponding width. Thus the strip 26 is supported by the several bolts 21, and is movable toward and from theadjacent margin of the leaf 8, this being permitted by `longitudinal movement of said bolts.V Upon each bolt is mounted a spring 27, the inner end of which bears against the inner face of the head 19, while its outer end bears against a washer 28 fitted on the bolt 21 adjacent to the nut 23.` Y The several springs 27, therefore, tend to move the strip 26 away from the adjacent margin of the leaf 8 and cushion it against inward movement. The head 22-of the bolt .21 limits the extent Y to Vwhich the strip 26 may move away from the leaf 8, as-shown in Fig. 3. By adjusting the nuts 23, 24 on the bolt, obviously the eX- tent to which the strip 26 Vmay be moved away from said leaf may be adjusted.

At opposite sides of the leaf 8 adjacent to the outer margin thereof are two panels 29, 30 that are secured to said leaf and eX- tend beyond the outer margin thereof, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, forming a groove to guide the strip 26 in its movement toward and from the leaf 8. Said panels also guide the margin of the leaf 10 as it moves during the closing of the door. Fig. 3 illustrates the position of the leaf 10 at the time the door is being closed, at which time the leaves 8 and 10 assume an angular position with relation to each other. For convenience of illustration the leaf 8 is shown in its closed position while the leaf 10 is turned to a pronounced angular position with relation to it, so that its outer margin can enter the space between the panels 29, 30. As the leaf 10 is swung into alinement with the other leaves of its door section and with the leaf 8 the strip 26 will be pressed back, thereby compressing the springs 21 until the partsv as sume the position shown in Figs. 2l and 4. The strip 26 will, therefore, be held in close contact with the leaf 10, and the space between said strip and the leaf 8 will be closed by the panels 29, 30, which, as shown, then overlap the outer margin ofthe leaf 10, thus providing a complete closure of the door opening. They panels 29, 30 are preferably of ornamental character so as to give a finished effect to the door as a whole. j

By the constructionV described the door will always close properly regardless of any shrinkage or swelling of the leaves of either section of the door. Furthermore, the construction describedallows for projection of the corners of the inner leaves beyond'the positionthey normally occupy when the door is closed, incident to their swinging on their hinges, so that the door always closes easily.

Any desired vnumber of bolts may be `used to connect the strip 26 with the leaf 8, Vbut ordinarily three or four of such bolts Vwill suffice.

What Ik claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patents, is

1. The combination of a swinging and sliding folding door leaf having pockets in its outer margin, a strip disposed opposite said outer margin, a metallic plate secured to the inner face of said strip, bolts movable longitudinally in said pockets, thimbles mounted in said pockets and forming bearings for said bolts, said bolts having threads ed ends passing through holes insaid metallic plate, nuts engaging over said thread-v ed ends on opposite sides of said metallic plate, springs mounted on said bolts between said thimbles and said nuts for normally pressing said strip away from said leaf, and plates secured at opposite sides of said leaf and forming a channel to receive said strip.

2. In combination, an abutment member, plates secured at opposite sides of said member, a door movable toward and away from the abutment member and adapted to enter between the plates, a strip disposed between the plates for contact with the entering edge of the door, slidably mounted bolt and nut means for supporting the strip for movement toward and away from the abutment member and for adjusting the strip toward or away from the abutment member, and resilient members confined between the strip and the abutment member and yieldingly opposing movement of the strip toward said abutment member.

3. In combination, an abutment member said edge thereof, thimbles secured to the abutment member and extending into said pockets, bolts passing through the inner ends of the thimbles, a strip slidable between the plates, securing plates secured to the inner face of said strip, the bolts passing through the securing plates, nuts threaded onto the bolts at opposite sides of said securing plates and coacting therewith for adjustably securing the strip to the bolts, and expansion coil springs mounted about the bolts and oonined between the thimbles and the nuts at the inner side of the securing plates.

ELLIS J. G. PHILLIPS. 

